Untitled - E-book - ePub

For the first time, His Holiness the Dalai Lama writes about his and Tibet's tensions with China, providing personal, cultural, and historical insights never before shared, including an account of how he has navigated the treacherous, complicated relationships with the successive leaders of communist China for 75 years. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has had to contend with China nearly his entire life.
He was 15 years old when China invaded Tibet in 1950, only 19 when he had his first meeting with Chairman Mao, and 24 when he was forced to escape to India and become a leader in exile. In the seven decades since, he has faced communist China's leaders-Mao, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping-as he seeks to free Tibet while preserving its culture, language, religion, and history in the face of a government that has outcast and demonized him. Now, almost 75 years after China's initial invasion of Tibet, His Holiness tells his story and the trials he and Tibetans have endured.
He offers his thoughts on the geopolitics of the region and shares how he personally was able to preserve his own humanity through losses and attacks that are among the worst in history. This book captures an entire life journey-discovering what it means to lose your home to a repressive invader and build a life in exile; dealing with the existential crisis of a country, its people, and its culture; and recognizing what needs to happen in the path forward.